


Alone in the Crowd

by stargatefan_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-01-01
Updated: 2004-01-01
Packaged: 2018-10-06 22:05:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,369
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10345515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stargatefan_archivist/pseuds/stargatefan_archivist
Summary: SPOILERS : LifeboatSUMMARY : Tag to LIFEBOAT. The battle for Daniel’s mind is over. Or is it?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Yuma, the archivist: this work was originally archived at [Stargatefan.com](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Stargatefan.com). To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [StargateFan Archive Collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/StargateFan_Archive_Collection).

Stargate SG-1 | Missing Scene Fanfiction | Alone in the Crowd

##  Alone in the Crowd

##### Written by Jkrickit   
Comments? Write to us at [Jkrickit@insightbb.com](mailto:Jkrickit@insightbb.com)

  * SPOILERS : Lifeboat 
  * SUMMARY : Tag to LIFEBOAT. The battle for Daniel's mind is over. Or is it? 
  * PG [A] [D] [HC] [M] 



* * *

Jack had been pacing for the past hour. He was good at it. God knows he'd certainly had enough practice. Which was probably why his knees were so worn out. He reached the end of the corridor...again, and stopped. How many times had he walked the floor because of Daniel? Waiting?...Waiting for him to wake up after being knocked out?...Waiting for him to come out of surgery?.. waiting for him to come back home? 

He took off his cap and scrubbed his hand roughly through his short hair. Bad knees and gray hair. That's what waiting would give you. He placed his cap back on as he started back up the corridor toward the chamber Daniel was in. He tried to keep his eyes straight ahead so as not to look at the people lined up on both sides of him in the sleep chambers. He knew they couldn't be watching him, since they were all frozen, but it was still creepy. 

Up ahead he could see Dr. Frasier where she'd been monitoring Daniel ever since he'd gotten hooked up to all those wires and things. He sure hoped they knew what they were doing when they connected Daniel's mind to Pharrin's. He simply could not lose Daniel again. 

He wasn't allowed to be in the same room with Daniel when he was in isolation. When he stormed out of the observation room down to where Pharrin was bowed down to that sovereign, he didn't know who he was more angry with, Pharrin or Martese. 

Of course, it was his best friend's body that Martese was occupying at the time, which was strange to say the least. It was Daniel's body, but when those other souls or whatever took over, it didn't sound like Daniel. Crap, it didn't even look like Daniel in a weird sort of way. His face just looked, well, different somehow. So, he couldn't really be angry at Martese because he knew Daniel was still in there somewhere. Or at least that's what Frasier had said. 

That left Pharrin as the target of his anger which suited him just fine. Here SG-1 had been going through the gate risking their lives fighting the Goa'uld who put those snakes in people and take over an innocent person's body, take over their life. And Pharrin just up and puts twelve people in Daniel's head. Taking over his body, taking over his mind. In Jack's book, that didn't make Pharrin as bad the Goa'uld. It made him worse. 

He just wanted Daniel back the way he was and then to get off this godforsaken planet. Carter and Teal'c were working on getting the whole lot of them thawed out. After that he really could care less where Hammond decided to send them to. 

Back at the end of the corridor, he looked over at Daniel then his eyes followed the wires as they snaked down from Daniel's head to the monitor and on to Frasier's laptop and he shuddered. He knew it was just a matter of time before his trip back up this corridor was rewarded with her telling him that this transfer thing was finally done. He hoped it was soon. His nerves were beginning to fray. 

"Well?" Jack was nervous and he'd admit it. He was even a little scared, although he'd never admit that. 

Dr. Frasier looked up at Colonel O'Neill. "Well, there's no way to tell yet if they all made it into Pharrin, but Daniel's readings are back to normal." She'd lost count how many times he'd asked her about Daniel. She knew he was nervous, so was she. Pharrin had sounded confident that the passengers in Daniel's mind could successfully be transferred to himself, but she was still uneasy. It was hard to put your trust, the fate of Daniel's brilliant mind, in someone who gave a whole new meaning to the word multiple personality. 

"How'd you do that?" Jack heard but maybe because he had asked so many times, it was hard to believe it was actually done. 

"It wasn't me, sir. It was Daniel. His consciousness protected itself, and he never emerged for more than a few seconds. That's what allowed Pharrin to separate the others from Daniel and absorb them himself." Janet hoped she sounded a lot more confident than she felt. 

"The more the merrier, I guess." Jack cringed at the idea of a machine sucking something out of Daniel's brain and putting it into another's. Carter had tried to explain the how, until he'd stopped her before his own brain exploded from information overload. He supposed the saying about 'knowledge is a terrible thing to waste' was true, but he preferred the 'too much knowledge can do terrible things to Jack's brain'. 

"He'll stay in suspended animation until the other ship's passengers can be revived and take care of him." Janet glanced over at Pharrin. She was still feeling sparks of anger at what the man had done to Daniel. 

"You mean, them." Jack clarified. 

Dr. Frasier and Colonel O'Neill both turned as Major Carter and Teal'c started down the flight of stairs to their level. 

Suddenly the lights got brighter and a humming sound filled the room as the power was restored. Sam wiped the dampness from her forehead as she looked at Colonel O`Neill. "The naquadah generator will sustain the power, sir." 

"We should be able to begin the restoration process within hours." Teal'c added. 

"And we can start relocating them shortly after that." Sam was glad to be done with her part of the bargain so she could get down here and check on Daniel. She looked worriedly at him as he stood in the chamber then glanced over at Pharrin feeling her anger return. They shouldn't have had to bargain in the first place to have Daniel returned to them as he was before. No matter how you looked at it, what Pharrin had done to Daniel, what he would have done to the rest of SG-1 if he'd had a little more time, was just wrong. 

"Good. We'll leave that to SG-4. They love that kind of stuff." Jack would be more than happy to let another team thaw'em out and move'em out. 

"How's Daniel?" Sam turned toward Janet as she pushed her anger back to deal with later. 

"He'll probably be unconscious for awhile. I think it's best if we get...." Janet turned to look along with the others as they unexpectedly heard a voice coming from the chamber. 

"What?" Daniel spoke softly but it still seemed to echo loudly in his head. He thought he'd heard familiar voices. He was afraid to come out of the part of his mind he'd been hiding in until he realized it had steadily grown quiet. The constant noise in his head from the talking, yelling, crying, screaming voices had given him the mother of all headaches. 

"Daniel? Is that you?" Jack stepped closer to the chamber and looked expectantly at him. 

"Jack?" He tried to open his eyes but the lights seemed to sear into his brain so he only managed to open them just enough to see Jack standing there smiling at him. The relief that washed over Daniel was overwhelming. Thank God he could speak again and someone could actually hear him. 

"How ya doin?" Jack was grinning from ear to ear. 

He opened his eyes and turned toward Jack but the movement made the pain in his head flare. "Hmmm...bad headache." 

"Nail- in- the- head kinda thing?" 

"Yeah...something like that." He closed his eyes tightly. Not only to keep out the light but to prevent the wetness that had filled his eyes from spilling down his cheeks. 

Dr. Frasier anxiously read the input from the electrodes on Daniel's head and so far they still looked good. That and hearing Daniel's voice again had lifted a weight that has been lying heavy on her heart ever he'd stepped though the gate looking so lost and frightened. She glanced over at the Colonel as he smiled at Daniel and she couldn't tear her eyes away. The emotions so evident on the Colonel's face as he spoke softly to Daniel... concern, joy, relief, pride. The complete trust on Daniel's face as he spoke to Jack through his pain. The connection between these two close friends was so strong that it was mesmerizing. 

She glanced over at Sam and Teal'c and they too were grinning from ear to ear as their eyes glistened with unshed tears of relief and concern. Speaking of unshed tears, she quickly wiped the escaping tear going down her own cheek. "Like I was going to say, Colonel, I think it's best if we get Daniel back to the infirmary so I can examine him more thoroughly." she said, attempting to get control of her emotions. 

Finally her words registered to Jack as he tore his eyes away from the chamber to glance at Dr. Frasier. He was more than a little relieved to see and hear that Daniel was, well, Daniel again. He moved his P-90 to the side and stepped closer to the chamber, reached in and laid his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "Daniel? Ready to go home?" 

Daniel nodded, but instantly realized that that was a really bad idea. He moaned as the movement sent more stabs of pain through his skull. He reached for Jack's hand on his shoulder and grasped it. 

"Take it easy, Daniel. We'll have you out of here in no time. Can you step over this opening down here? It's kind of tall." He watched as Daniel tried to lift his foot up, then seeing that he wasn't quite going to clear it he reached down and grabbed the bottom of Daniel's pant leg, helping him lift his foot up and over the rim of the chamber. Jack put both arms around Daniel and helped him the rest of the way out. He still had one arm wrapped around Daniel when he felt him sway sideways. He held him steady. "Easy, Danny. I gotcha." 

"Sorry Jack." Daniel opened his eyes a bit more to try to get his bearings seeing Janet peering up at him with a concerned look as she began removing the electrodes. 

"Colonel, you can radio them to bring the stretcher down here now." Janet would be glad to get him back on more familiar turf. 

"No...I can walk." Daniel told them. 

Janet and Colonel O'Neill exchanged knowing glances. They each knew how stubborn he could be especially when he was hurt or sick. 

"Sure, Daniel. I'll just let go of you and if you can walk all by yourself, then no stretcher, ok?" 

Jack figured the quickest way to stop this whole argument was to just nip it in the bud. He let go of Daniel and stepped back, ready to catch him. Teal'c, knowing what the Colonel was up to, stepped inconspicuously closer. Which was a good thing because Daniel took one step and his legs folded, and Jack and Teal'c both caught him. 

Daniel really didn't want to do the whole `carried out on a stretcher thing' but his body just wouldn't cooperate. As he felt his legs turn to jelly and the pain in his head double, he felt himself being caught between strong arms. The next thing he knew he was lying horizontal. All he remembered before he drifted away was the feeling of his body swaying rhythmically. 

* * *

"Colonel, the pain medication I gave him will keep him out for several hours. Why don't you go get cleaned up and get something to eat?" Janet knew that once the vigil began by the Colonel, he wouldn't budge from the side of Daniel's bed unless he was ordered to. So if she could at least get him to clean up and eat now then she wouldn't have to start nagging him until oh, at least tomorrow morning. 

Jack looked down at the sleeping man, covers up to his chin. The steady beeping of the monitors was reassuring but not a guarantee, and that's what Jack needed. A guarantee that Daniel would be fine, that he wouldn't die, ascend, lose his mind, lose his soul. And he knew that as much as he wanted it, needed it, he wouldn't get it. Nope, there were no sure things. But there's no way he was gonna let Daniel wake up alone so maybe he should get a few things out of the way. 

"Yeah. I guess I could do that. Is he gonna be okay?" 

"I don't expect any lasting effects. Aside from the headache, he seems fine, Colonel." 

"You'll call me if there's any change before I get back?" 

"Yes, Colonel. I promise." Janet patted his arm trying to reassure. "Now shoo." 

Jack glanced back at Daniel briefly before he left. 

* * *

Sam finished her shower and dried off, glad that she had the small locker room all to herself. Since there were a lot fewer women than men on SGC teams their locker room was less than half the size of the men's. But it was almost always empty when she used it, which gave her time to unwind and think. Which wasn't always a good thing. The thinking part, that is. 

She'd been busy with first one thing then another ever since being released from the infirmary. Hearing that Daniel was under guard, restrained, and in isolation was the last thing she'd expected to hear when she woke up. 

General Hammond had led Colonel O'Neill and herself to the observation room overlooking where Daniel was being held trying to explain on the way there at least some of what had occurred since their return from the planet. It was so heart-breaking to see Daniel as she'd looked down at him through the one-way glass. The white scrubs and the restraints, the orderlies guarding the locked door. It had been eerily reminiscent of another time in Daniel's life that she'd rather forget. Seeing him like that had frightened her even more when she'd found out that Dr. McKenzie was seemingly trying to weasel his way onto the case. 

They'd returned to the planet in an attempt to take a closer look at the cryogenic sleep chambers. She'd hoped they'd find some way of figuring out what had happened to Daniel so they could try to undo it. But if she had been completely honest with herself, she'd been truly afraid that she couldn't figure out a way to help him this time and that they were going to lose Daniel. She squeezed her eyes shut tightly and took a deep breath. She could never go through that again. Never. 

She realized she was shivering so she started to get dressed. She was surprised at first when the Colonel had told General Hammond that he wanted to stay with Daniel instead of going back to the planet. But it hadn't taken her long to figure out why. The Colonel thought the world of Daniel and he, too, had heard about McKenzie snooping around in Daniel's medical chart and looking over his tests. He wanted to keep McKenzie away from Daniel and wanted to be available in case Daniel needed him. 

She'd thought for a minute that the Colonel was going to punch Pharrin when he'd bowed down at the sound of the sovereign's voice and told them he couldn't proceed with putting Daniel back the way he was. She'd felt like decking him herself a time or two. 

She grinned to herself. She'd heard about Janet's confrontation with Martese, the sovereign, while her and Teal'c were off world. She would have loved to have seen that. Her face lit up as she remembered the video of Daniel they had watched in the General's office, realizing that there should be tape of Janet and Martese, too. 

As she finished getting dressed she reached to close her locker but stopped as a picture taped to the inside caught her eye. A picture Janet had taken of Teal'c, Colonel O'Neill, Daniel, and herself at the welcome home party they'd had for Daniel in Jack's backyard. She traced the faces on the picture with her finger, smiling at the memories of that night and realized tears were sliding down her face. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. 

They'd almost lost Daniel again. He could have been trapped inside his own mind with a dozen other personalities until he was driven insane. A shiver ran down her spine and finally the tension and fear that she had held together so well all day fell apart and she sat down on the bench and let the tears flow until they washed away the fear of what could have been. 

* * *

Janet stood by the hospital bed thinking over the emotional roller coaster she had been on for the past 24 hours. Remembering when Teal'c first brought Daniel through the gate, how terrified he had been. Neither she nor Teal'c had had time to react when Daniel turned around in panic and ran back toward the wormhole. Her eyes closed and she cringed knowing how close that had been. If the wormhole had taken another second maybe two to shut down, Daniel would have disintegrated before their eyes. 

She was so thankful that it really was Daniel and not Martese lying in that bed. She winced as she remembered how she'd screamed at him. She shouldn't have lost it like that. After all, even though Martese had been an arrogant jerk, he'd still been her patient. 

After the heated words between her and Martese she had stormed out of the room and strode past several surprised faces straight to her office. After locking the door, she'd thrown an empty mug across the room. She'd only stayed there a few minutes or so and had then went about her business as usual. She wouldn't want to recommend it, but the satisfaction she'd gotten from throwing the mug and watching it hit the wall exploding into pieces, had actually been quite therapeutic. Grinning to herself, she wondered what Dr. McKenzie would have to say about that. 

Dr, McKenzie had been lurking about as soon as word of Daniel's condition reached his ears. He had taken Daniel's EEG and MRI, analyzed them and written a report before she'd even been aware he was on the base. So she had gone to General Hammond recommending that only herself and a few of her staff be allowed direct contact with Daniel to minimize any additional emotional trauma to him. He had wholeheartedly agreed and she'd had the gratifying task of informing Dr. McKenzie what the General had ordered. It was the only way she could think of to keep him away from Daniel. She'd also gotten a second opinion on the tests, for her own peace of mind. 

Even though he was a colleague of hers, she wouldn't have felt at all comfortable having him on this case. She'd listened to his convincing diagnosis and treatment concerning Daniel a few years ago and he'd ended up committing Daniel to Mental Health. Shadows of guilt from that still haunted her, and she had no intention of letting anything like that happen to him again. 

She watched Daniel's face as he slept, relieved at how much like Daniel he looked. It had been incredibly unsettling to watch the different personalities take control of him. Their voices, their facial expressions and mannerisms had each been so different. When he'd surfaced briefly she'd seen Daniel looking back at her in those few seconds. Not Martese, not Tryan, or any of the others. But the fear that she'd seen in his eyes..... 

She took a deep breath, turning her attention back to the monitors assuring her that he was resting comfortably, she pulled the curtain closed and went back to her office. 

* * *

Jack stood under the steaming water, hoping the heat would untie the knots his shoulder and neck were in. He hadn't realized how much he'd been tensing up his muscles all day until he'd finally started to relax a little. Then an achy soreness had been left in its place. 

He should be feeling good. The four of them had survived the energy blast. Daniel had beaten the odds again and survived having a dozen strangers take up residence in his brain. Not mingling with the crowd had made it possible to send the unwanted guests packing. 

Then why couldn't he shake this uneasiness niggling at his brain? 

He moved closer to the shower nozzle letting the water flow over his hair and down his face. // We came too close to losing Daniel again today, that's what's wrong // He shivered even while the steaming water poured over him. 

He turned off the water, dried his hair briskly with a towel then wrapped it around his waist. He walked out to his locker grasped the handle and his hand stopped as he looked over at the locker next to his. He'd never taken Daniel's name off for the whole time he'd been ascended. He grinned as he thought about all the well-meaning hints and advice he'd gotten from people that maybe it was time to clean out Daniel's locker and for him to move on. Guess they were all eating their words now. 

He'd been the one to run down here to the locker and get Daniel's BDU's and boots for him to change into before they gated to the planet where the Stromos lay like a beached whale. There was no way Frasier was going to let Daniel go through that cold wormhole in thin cotton scrubs. Of course, the sovereign didn't want anything to do with the green fatigue pants and black t-shirt. He said it was beneath his privilege to wear such plain drab clothing in the presence of his people.....Jeez... Give me a break. 

Lucky for them Tryan had made an appearance and they'd had him almost completely dressed before Martese took over again. Mr. Fashion had tried to take them right back off including the as yet untied boots until Teal'c had walked in. He'd always known Teal'c was a man of few words. He could say more with two words than some people could with twenty. He could still hear his imposing voice as he stood right in front of Martese saying "You WILL wear this clothing". It was priceless. 

He opened his locker and got out his BDU's and started getting dressed. It had been the hardest thing to do, to just sit in that observation booth and watch. Watch Daniel change from one person to the next. Watch him suffer in pain. He would never forget the look of terror in Daniel's eyes when he'd surfaced for those few brief seconds. And he'd never forget how totally helpless he'd felt that he couldn't run down there and help him. Hour after hour he found himself gripping the plastic seat repeatedly, to stop from rushing down to that room. But at least he'd been there to make sure McKenzie stayed away from him. 

When he'd found out McKenzie was the one who'd read Daniel's tests he wanted to find him and drag his sorry butt up to the surface and out of the front gate. There was no way he was going to let Daniel out of his sight. But after he'd asked Frasier what McKenzie was doing on Daniel's case she'd told him she'd already spoken to General Hammond and that McKenzie would not be allowed to have direct contact with Daniel. He'd gotten the distinct impression that Dr. Frasier wasn't too fond of having McKenzie hovering around Daniel either. 

He closed the locker, picked up his keys and security keycard and put them in his pocket as he headed out the door. 

* * *

Teal'c watched the candles make flickering, dancing shadows on the walls and ceiling. He didn't need to Kel'no'reem anymore to stay healthy but he had to admit, it did make him feel better. He smiled as he remembered when DanielJackson had asked him to Kel' no' reem with him in hopes that the deep state of meditation would help him remember what had been troubling him. 

He hadn't known at the time that Daniel had been tormented by the voices of Bra'tac and Ry'ac for weeks. Through the meditation Daniel remembered that while he was ascended he had seen them captured. He had also had a vision of the slave labor camp where they and hundreds of others were being held prisoner. 

The details he remembered of the planet had led them to where they were being held. Thanks to Daniel, his son Ry'ac and Master Bra'tac had been rescued and many more freed and sent back to there homes and families. 

After Bra'tac and Ry'ac left the SGC and went back to Chulak, he had requested that Daniel join him in Kel'no'reem once again. He needed a proper place to thank him for all that he done for him , his son and Master Bra'tac. In the midst of the warmth and calming shadows of the flickering flames they had spoken of many things. 

Apparently DanielJackson had been filled with uncertainties since his re-taking human form, unsure of his true place in this world. The belief that he could possibly be doing more to help mankind if he was still ascended had been troubling him greatly. But through his visions and memories during Kel'no'reem, he had finally come to realize where he truly belonged, as part of SG-1. 

He had certainly acquired many powers and abilities while he was ascended to have made a difference in many people's lives. But the fact that he wasn't allowed to use those abilities was worse than not having them at all. It had pleased him greatly to see his friend smiling once again. He deserved to be happy. He deserved so much more than he had been given in his troubled life. So many people had been taken from DanielJackson. His Mother and Father, his wife Sha're, his wife's child, his Grandfather. That Pharrin had almost destroyed Daniel's brilliant mind; had nearly taken one of the most compassionate, selfless individual's he had ever known, away from them, was unforgivable. 

His fists clenched, still feeling the anger at seeing DanielJackson in such pain and torment, when all he could do was stand back and watch helplessly. When Major Carter suggested they go back to the planet to try to find something that might help Daniel, he knew that he must go. He could not prevent what had happened to him. But he had hoped he could help find a way to undo the harm that had already been done. 

Major Carter had once told him that DanielJackson had guardian angels looking out for him. He was unsure what these guardians were or what they looked like. But if their purpose was to keep his friend from harm then they most certainly had a formidable, yet honorable task. He did not understand how one came to be a guardian angel, but if their job required them to protect DanielJackson, then he too would gladly be one of these guardians as well. He must ask Major Carter about this. 

* * *

Even before Jack stepped into the infirmary he heard someone yelling and cursing and the sound of something metal crashing. He hurried into the room and realized the loud voices were coming from behind the curtained off area several beds down from Daniel's. To say that he was relieved that it wasn't Daniel going berserk was putting it mildly. He let out a nervous breath and could just now feel his pounding heart beginning to slow down. Whoever was behind curtain number three was definitely not a happy camper. From the sounds of it they were giving Dr. Frasier a pretty hard time. He heard her call the orderly over and ask for an injection. Then things behind the curtain had finally quieted down. 

He stood beside the bed and looked down at Daniel who was stirring slightly. He watched him for a few minutes before pulling the torturous plastic chair over and sitting down. Daniel's breathing was quiet and steady but every few minutes he would scrunch his brow and turn his head slightly, moaning softly in his sleep. He figured he must be having a bad dream so he laid his hand on Daniel's shoulder, squeezing it gently, and as he did Daniel began to relax until finally he was sleeping peacefully again. He looked up as Sam walked into the room. 

"How's he doing, sir?" 

"Still good, I hope. Frasier hasn't been by since I've been sitting here." Jack pointed with his thumb toward the curtained off area. "She's been busy with a patient. I think it might be Lieutenant Blake and it sounded like he wasn't too happy." 

She looked back down at Daniel and smiled. When she thought about how close they came to losing him again........... 

She laid her hand over where Daniel's hand was cocooned under the warm cotton. She glanced at the Colonel who was also staring at the sleeping form tucked under the covers. 

After Daniel ascended she had wondered if Colonel O'Neill missed him at all. She'd been torn up over it for months afterwards and the Colonel had appeared not to care at all. But she had finally been able to look past her own pain and only then could she see just how devastating Daniel's departure had been on her CO. He hid it well, but there had been several times she had caught him staring, deep in thought, with that faraway look in his eyes. If you looked close enough you could see the pain in his eyes. He had missed Daniel more than anyone. But his way of dealing with it had been to build a wall around himself and shut everyone out. He glanced up at her and turned away, sitting back down in the chair, clearing his throat. 

"How's the relocation going, Major?" 

"Fine, sir. SG-4 seems to have everything under control. Pharrin is being taken care of by some of their medical officers that were taken out of stasis." Her voice lowered as she added, "He had to be restrained by them after he woke up, sir. He pretty distraught." Sam finally met Colonel O'Neill's eyes. "They seemed confident though that their technology could separate all of the two dozen personalities in Pharrin. But as to what they can do with them after that..." 

Jack kept his voice low. "There's no point in telling Daniel about any of that unless he asks, okay, Carter? I could just imagine him feeling guilty because some of those things in his head might not survive because we made Pharrin take them out." Jack wasn't an uncaring person, but he wasn't willing to sacrifice Daniel by letting his mind be taken hostage by the dozen others. He would have been a prisoner in his own mind until he'd gone insane, if what that Tryan fellow had said was correct. No. Daniel has sacrificed more than enough. 

They both looked back as Teal'c entered the infirmary. He nodded at them and stood at the foot of Daniel's bed. "How is DanielJackson?" 

"Well. I see you're all here." Dr. Frasier said as she stepped into the room, took the chart and began reading through the notes left from the nurses. She stepped closer to Daniel and pressed the stethoscope against his chest as she listened, jotting something down in his chart. 

Jack waited until she had the stethoscope out of her ears. "Are you sure he's okay?" 

She gave him a quizzical look. How many times was he going to ask her that? "He really is doing good, Colonel. As a matter of fact, unless something unexpected comes up, I should be able to release him tomorrow. I'll be back later to check on him again." She turned to him grinning slyly. "I assume you'll be staying here, Colonel?" 

Jack didn't say anything. HE knew that SHE knew that HE would be here. He glanced from Dr. Frasier to Carter and then Teal'c. They all had a bunch of silly grins on their faces. 

"What?" he asked as he shifted a little in the hard seat and tried to get comfortable. 

* * *

Daniel felt like he was swimming under a layer of ice. He could see the light from the surface but as hard as he tried, he couldn't break through. He couldn't yell for help or he would drown. As less and less air was left in his lungs, he frantically tried to claw at the cold hard surface. He couldn't find a way out! 

Jack woke up from his awkward position in the chair with the feeling that something was wrong. Then he took one look at Daniel. His hands were clawing at the sheets and his head was turning from side to side. His mouth moving as if he was trying to speak but the only sound he made was a heart wrenching moan. 

Jack jumped up out of the chair and stood over Daniel. His breathing that was sounding more and more like gasping. He placed his hands on his shoulders, shaking him gently. 

"Daniel?" 

The only reaction he got was instead of him trying to claw at the sheets he was trying to bat Jack's hands away. He put his hands on the sides of Daniel's face. 

"Daniel? Wake up!" 

Daniel's eyes suddenly shot open, filled with terror and he grabbed Jack's wrists with his hands, holding on like he was gripping a life preserver. 

"Jack?" Daniel could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He stared at Jack trying to focus on where he was and pull himself out of the nightmare. He finally looked at his hands that were still squeezing Jack's wrists and loosened his hold. He stared at his hands and took a deep breath. "Sorry Jack." 

"It's okay. You had a bad dream, that's all." Jack patted his shoulder and sat back down watching as Daniel continued to stare at his hands. 

"Daniel? You all right?" 

Daniel's eyes finally broke away from their gaze and looked at Jack. "Uh....Yeah. I think so." Daniel squeezed his eyes shut for a moment when a wave of pain went through his head, then he glanced at Jack fearfully. "I am okay, aren't I Jack?" 

"Yeah. Frasier says they got all those... others, out of your head and into Pharrin." It worried him seeing the fear and confusion in Daniel's eyes. He had hoped the ordeal was over but he could see now that it wasn't. 

Daniel closed his eyes in relief. It had been horrible, worse than a nightmare. A nightmare you always wake up from but this...he hadn't known if it would ever end. There were times he hadn't even been sure if he was awake or dreaming, if it was real or not.The first thing he'd remembered when he woke up from the energy blast on board the Stromos was seeing Teal'c knelt down beside him then hearing a blood curdling scream. 

It had shocked him when he realized that he was the one screaming. He had felt disconnected from himself somehow. Then a wave of voices, images and emotions had rushed over him and he had felt like he was drowning, so he had found a safe corner of his mind to hide. 

"Daniel?" 

He knew Daniel wasn't asleep. Even though he had his arm draped over his eyes, his ragged breaths and clinching hands gave him away. 

"Danny, are you okay?" 

"Yeah.........No.... I don't know." 

Daniel's voice sounded lost and it hurt to even listen to it, let alone how it must hurt to be the one feeling it. Jack stood back up and leaned over the bed. 

"Daniel. I'm not gonna lie to you and tell you I know how you feel cause I don't. I can only imagine what this has been like for you." Jack shifted from one foot to the next and shoved his hands into his pockets to give them somewhere to go where they wouldn't shake. "I don't understand how you separated yourself from those others in your head. But whatever you did made it possible to get them out and leave you as...you. And right now I really don't care how you did it. I'm just glad you're back and that you`re... you again and ..... Well.... Crap. I'm no good at this stuff." 

Daniel took his arm away from his face and looked up at Jack, his eyes still glistening from the still raw emotions. 

"I don't know Jack, you sounded pretty good at it to me." His emotions were still too near the surface and as hard as he tried he couldn't seem to keep a tight rein on them. But listening to Jack struggling to talk about his feelings had made things look a little closer to normal. "You been practicing?" 

Jack sniggered at that, "You've had more than enough close calls to make me practice." 

"Yeah. I gotta work on that." Daniel snickered softly. 

"You do that." 

"Well, Dr. Jackson. How are you feeling?" Dr. Frasier said as she neared the bed. 

Daniel looked over at her when she walked up to the bed remembering when her and Martese were yelling at each other. 

"Daniel?" Dr. Frasier asked again, concerned about the blank stare on his face. 

His eyes finally focused on hers."Yeah. Janet. Um...I'm fine." 

"How's the headache?" She took out her penlight and checked his pupils. 

"Not as bad as it was." He winced each time the bright light hit his eyes even though he tried to not react. 

"Well, I'll get you a shot for the pain." 

"No!........Uh, no shots.......They...they make me too sleepy." He could still feel the uneasiness from the nightmare that was still too fresh in his mind. The last thing he wanted to do was sleep again. Not for a while anyway. 

Dr. Frasier looked from Daniel to the Colonel and back. "It's ok Daniel. I won't give you a shot if you don't want it, but you could at least take some Tylenol." 

"Sure, okay." 

"I'll be right back." 

Jack kept his eyes on Daniel as Dr. Frasier walked out. He knew there was a lot more going on in that head of his. Daniel looked up at him nervously and smiled. 

"You're gonna have to sleep sometime, Daniel." 

"I know, Jack, but I've already slept a couple of hours." 

"Seven." 

"Seven what?" 

"You slept for seven hours." 

Daniel looked at him in disbelief. "Really? That long? Well, see. No wonder I don't want to sleep anymore." 

Dr. Frasier walked in with the Tylenol and handed them to Daniel, then poured a glass of water and watched as he took them. "I need to run some more tests, Daniel, so I'll come back in about half an hour. That'll give the meds a chance to work." 

"Sure.... Ok" 

After she'd left, Daniel turned to Jack. "When do you think she's gonna let me out of here?" 

"Well, she did say something about releasing you later today if your tests are okay." Jack told him, then he grinned, "Why? In a hurry to get out of here for some reason?" 

"Yeah, duh. I've been in the infirmary for almost two days. And most of that was......." Daniel stopped. He really didn't want to talk about the nightmare he'd been trapped in. Daniel lowered his head looking away then turned back to Jack and grinned. "It's just hard to rest here, you know?" 

Jack studied Daniel's face. // Yeah. He really doesn't want to talk about it. // 

"So, bet it's a lot quieter in there, huh?" Jack said as he pointed at his head. Daniel eyed Jack suspiciously wondering what was going on with the questions. "Yeah, pretty quiet, why?" 

"Oh, I just figured it must have been getting pretty wild and crazy in there, everybody all cooped up together like that." Jack didn't want to upset him but he really felt like he needed to know how well, or not, Daniel was dealing with all of this. 

// Just keep it together Daniel, Don't let him see know you don't want to talk about this or he'll grab onto it like a pit bull // Daniel bit the inside of his lip nervously then grinned. "We had a big, big party there for awhile. Surprised you couldn't hear it, Jack." 

"Dr. Jackson, I need to take you over for your EEG," the nurse said as she pushed the wheelchair over to the bed and locked the brakes. "Would you like some help?" 

"No." Daniel pulled off the sheet and slid his legs over the side of the bed. He stood up slowly and turned and sat down in the chair. // This once I'm not going to argue about having to use the wheelchair, just get me out of here before I have to answer any more questions. // 

"I'll be back when you`re done, Daniel." Jack had noticed how pale he'd gotten when he pushed at him with the questions. This was not gonna be a quick fix. 

The nurse pushed the wheelchair out into the hall and started toward the testing room. Daniel looked around, remembering being taken down this very same hall. Except he hadn't been in a wheelchair. He'd been strapped down on a gurney. He could vaguely remember what it sounded like as the other one who'd taken control had screamed and cursed and....oh God, had he hurt someone? His mind still felt fuzzy. No wonder they'd restrained him in the isolation room. 

Although the horrible feeling of having a dozen other minds in his head, all fighting to be heard, had ceased. Some of the memories of what they had said and done while inhabiting his body, remained. His hands gripped the padded arms as he felt the panic starting to build. He pinched the bridge of his nose as a sharp pain shot through his head behind his eyes. He made himself breathe slower and focus on the sound of the wheels as they rolled along the concrete floor. 

"Well, here we are." The nurse turned into the room and parked the chair. She handed the paper to the technician then turned to Daniel. "I'll be back to get you when you're done, Dr. Jackson." 

He tried to smile back at her way too cheery face then looked down as he realized his hands were trembling. He gripped them together only to feel how sweaty they were. He wiped his palms and gripped the sides of the chair waiting. 

"Well, are you ready, Dr. Jackson?" the technician asked as she stepped behind the chair and started wheeling him into the room. She stopped next to the long padded table and put the brake on. Daniel got up slowly and moved onto the table. // They had just left me on the gurney the last time I was here so they wouldn't have to worry about me hurting anybody else. // 

He shivered as she stuck the first electrode onto his scalp remembering how he, or rather one of the others, had yelled at the technician the last time he'd been here. He glanced over at her trying to remember if she was the one who had done the test before. 

"Are you cold, Dr. Jackson? I could get you a blanket." She asked as she attached the electrodes along his scalp. 

"No... I'm...I'm fine." He felt anything but fine. //What if they find out they aren't all gone? What if they're just hiding like I had been? // The possibility that one or more of 'them' were still in his head...... he closed his eyes trying to force himself to think about something, anything else. 

"I'm going to begin the test now, Dr. Jackson. Just relax. It won't hurt a bit, I promise." She smiled at him hoping to ease his mind since he was looking pretty anxious. 

He found a spot on the ceiling to focus on and he stared at it, trying his hardest not to think. 

* * *

"Dr. Jackson?" She gently shook his shoulder. "Dr. Jackson? You can wake.............." 

Daniel woke up with a jolt looking around the room, and rubbed at his eyes with his hand. "Sorry." 

She started removing the electrodes, placing them on the table, "It's all right. You're not the first one to fall asleep during an EEG you know." she said softly chuckling. She patted his arm. "All done. I've already called the nurse. She'll be here to get you in a minute." 

Daniel sat up and she placed her hand under his arm as he got up and turned to sit back down in the chair. She wheeled him to the outer waiting area just as the nurse came through the door. "Dr. Frasier wants this read ASAP. Whose on duty tonight?" She asked the technician. 

The technician looked at her chart. "I think Dr. McKenzie's still here." 

Daniel looked up at her, his eyes wide open at the sound of that name and his breath caught in his throat. // No! Not him! He'll lock me up again. // His mind was racing all the way back to the infirmary. Memories of another time when McKenzie had locked him away in the padded room...the drugs they injected into him over and over. His knuckles were white as he gripped the wheelchair trying to stay calm. 

* * *

Jack rushed to get back to the infirmary as soon as he got the nurse's message that Daniel had asked her to find him. His simple question to her about what was wrong had been met with the usual evasive medical mumbo-jumbo. Did they have special classes in medical school to teach these people to how NOT to answer? 

As he walked briskly toward Daniel's bed, he looked him over trying to read what could be wrong. // Oh, something's definitely wrong. He looks more pale than he did when he left with the nurse, if that's possible. // Daniel looked up at Jack just as he stepped beside the bed. 

"What's up, Daniel?" 

"Jack, is McKenzie one of the doctors handling my case?" He asked nervously. 

Jack didn't know what he'd expected to hear, but it definitely wasn't that. "No, I doubt that. Why do you ask?" 

"The technician talked like he would be the one to read my EEG." Daniel's voice was sounding more panicky by the second. "I don't want him looking at any of my tests. You know he would just love to find an excuse to lock me up again, Jack." 

"I'll find out Daniel, okay?" Jack stepped closer and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Try to calm down. No one's locking you up, you hear me? I'll be back." He squeezed his shoulder once trying to reassure then left in search of Frasier. 

* * *

Daniel closed his eyes and tried to relax, trying not to think too much about everything that had happened since they'd boarded the Stromos. It seemed like the harder he pushed the disturbing thoughts away; the harder they pushed back at him. The last thing he needed to worry about was whether McKenzie was going to try to use this to have him locked up again. The clinking of dishes startled him. 

"Dr. Jackson. Here's your dinner." the nurse set the tray down on the table and wheeled it closer. 

Daniel stared at the food, felt his stomach start to get queasy and pushed the tray aside. He couldn't relax until he knew McKenzie was out of the picture. The doctor had assumed he was schizophrenic when Machello's Goa'uld killing invention was inside of him. What would he think this time? If he'd seen him when the other consciousnesses were in control he would lock him up and throw away the key. 

His stomach felt like it was twisting in knots. His heart was pounding so hard he could feel it throb in his skull as he lay his arm across his eyes. So tired but he couldn't let himself sleep. Sleeping led to dreaming and dreaming led to nightmares. 

He covered his mouth to stifle a yawn. He had to calm down. Jack would find out what was going on. He'd just have to wait. 

Without even realizing it he drifted into a restless sleep. 

* * *

Jack started back toward the infirmary after finally tracking down Frasier. She'd assured him that Dr. Warner would be returning to the base shortly to look over Daniel's latest tests. He was relieved that he would hopefully, be able to ease Daniel's mind. The kid had been through enough. He sure didn't need this to worry about. 

As he neared the infirmary doors he thought he heard a shout from inside. // Probably Blake again. // But as he stepped through the doors he recognized the voice. // Daniel ! // He ran the rest of the way and when he saw Daniel being put into restraints by the two orderlies, and Dr. McKenzie standing by his bed putting the cap on an empty syringe in his hand, he stopped in his tracks. 

"HEY!! What do you think you're doing?" He ran over and pulled one orderly away from Daniel and turned toward the other one, who was already backing away. 

He started unbuckling the restraints as he called out to Daniel, but he lay limp, his eyes glassy. "DANIEL!" He shook him gently trying to get some response from him. 

Jack looked up at McKenzie. "What did you do to him?" 

"Calm yourself, Colonel. It's just a sedative." Dr. McKenzie said as he folded his glasses and placed them in his pocket. "Dr Jackson was extremely agitated." 

"Agitated." Jack repeated coldly as he finished unbuckling the restraints from Daniel's limp wrists. He wasn't a doctor but he didn't like the coolness of his skin or the glistening sweat now covering his even paler face. //God, was he still breathing? // He stared at his chest, relieved when he finally saw it rise. // Should he be breathing that slowly? // 

"Yes Colonel.I stopped by to check on Dr Jackson and found him thrashing about and calling out in his sleep. When I tried to calm him he became violent. I was simply trying to prevent him from hurting himself." the doctor said calmly as he turned to leave. 

Jack dashed around to the other side of the bed and grabbed the doctor, forcibly backing him against the wall. "And who's gonna prevent ME from hurting YOU?" Leaning closer he spoke with a menacing voice, "I swear, if you've done anything to hurt him..." 

"Colonel O'Neill! What do you think you're doing? I want you both out of my infirmary now before I call security." Dr. Frasier ordered. 

Jack glared angrily at McKenzie before brusquely letting go of the doctor's lab coat. "Why don't you ask him what he injected into Daniel?" 

Janet's eyes grew wide as she looked at McKenzie, "Did you give my patient something?" She turned and quickly went over to check on Daniel shocked at the sight of the restraints lying there. She gave the Doctor a disgusted glance and then looked back down at her patient taking in his appearance. She took her penlight and checked Daniel's eyes then pressed her fingers to his wrist to check his pulse. After a moment she angrily turned to face the doctor. 

"What did you give him?" 

"Like I tried to tell Colonel O'Neill, Dr. Jackson became violent and I....." 

"I- asked- what- did-you- give- him." Janet said furiously. 

"10 mg Haloperidol." 

She turned to the nurse who had followed her into the room. "Put Dr. Jackson back on the heart monitor and draw some blood and get it over to the lab. Then start an IV of saline and get his vitals every 15 minutes." 

Janet stared fiercely at McKenzie, "You'd better hope that dose wasn't too high for him." Her attention returned to Daniel as she kept her fingers on his wrist keeping a check on his pulse. 

"What are you saying?" Jack asked her worriedly. "Is he gonna be all right?" 

Janet turned to Jack. "It seems the doctor chose to give Daniel an unnecessarily large dose of sedative." 

Jack took a step toward McKenzie and swung, knocking him to the floor. 

* * *

Jack rubbed at his sore, bruised hand wondering how something that hurt so bad could still make him feel so good. He looked over at the reason it felt good. Daniel was out of danger now, according to Frasier, but the past several hours had been tense to say the least. It angered him that they'd had to hook him up to what looked like every machine in the infirmary. The steady beep of the heart monitor, the blood pressure cuff inflating on its own, the wires snaking up under the sheet, were glaring reminders of why he'd decked McKenzie. 

He shook his head, still in disbelief. Okay, so maybe he hadn't been trying to hurt Daniel when he'd given him a shot powerful enough to knock out an elephant. But Daniel's blood pressure had gotten so low at one point during the night that the nurse had literally ran to Frasier's office to wake her up to check it out. 

Daniel shouldn't be here. He should have been home or at least out of the infirmary by now. He could see that this thing with the others controlling his mind had really spooked him, and now this. Jack rubbed his hand roughly over his face. He was thinking that when Frasier released him he could maybe ask Hammond to let them have a few days off. Maybe he could take Daniel to a museum or something. Help get his mind off all of this. 

He'd rather go see a hockey game, but hey, he could do the `building full of old dead things' tour, if he wasn't confined to the base or down in the holding cell by then, that is. When the guards had taken McKenzie away, he'd threatened to have Jack up on charges of assault. Still, he didn't regret punching the man, he only regretted that he'd given him a reason to. 

He'd been surprised actually when Frasier had ordered security to escort McKenzie and the two orderlies to General Hammond's office but had ordered him instead to X-ray. He wasn't sure what Doc Frasier had told the General about what had happened between him and McKenzie. But whatever it was, it had allowed him to stay here with Daniel, only having to answer a few questions from the General in Frasier's office. 

McKenzie had insisted he'd only done what was necessary to prevent Daniel from harming himself or anyone else. The fact that he actually believed he was doing the right thing was perhaps the most disturbing part. 

Jack yawned as he looked around the dimly lit room. Carter was sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed sound asleep with her head resting on the mattress, her hand wrapped around Daniel's. Teal'c was resting in a chair with his eyes closed. 

He glanced back to Daniel still asleep of course. At least he didn't look like he was having any bad dreams. Daniel hadn't said what that dream had been about that he'd had the day before but Jack could see that whatever it was had really shaken him up. 

* * *

Janet had at least gotten a few hours of sleep, even though it had been in a cot in her office. She stepped into the infirmary looking over the group gathered around Daniel's bed and grinned. She nodded at Teal'c who was evidently the only one awake and he nodded back. Sam was still asleep with her head on the bed. She cringed when she saw the Colonel sound asleep with his chin almost touching his chest. Glancing from Sam to the Colonel wondering which one she was going to have to wake up so she could examine her patient. 

Looking again at the uncomfortable position the Colonel's neck was in she stepped over and laid her hand on his shoulder shaking his slightly. // He'll thank me later. // 

"Colonel?" 

Jack jerked awake and his eyes went straight to Daniel. 

"Colonel O'Neill?" 

He finally noticed her standing there and very sleepily asked, "Is Daniel all right?" 

"I just came by to check on him, Colonel, but it looks like you three have him pretty well surrounded." Jack glanced around, finally realizing she needed for him to move. He rubbed his neck and then stood up and moved out of her way. 

Dr. Frasier checked the readings on the monitors and made some notes in his chart. She finally laid the chart down and put the stethoscope in her ears pressed against Daniel's chest listening. She took the penlight out of her pocket and shown it in his eyes. 

"Is he gonna to be all right?" Jack could never read her face. 

"He should be fine, sir. The latest tests look good, but it will still be a few hours before he wakes up." 

Sam slowly raised her head and looked up sleepily at Janet and the Colonel. "How's Daniel?" 

"I was just telling the Colonel, he's going to be fine, Sam. Why don't all of you get out of here and get yourselves some breakfast?" 

Sam looked over at Teal'c and then back to the others. "I think I'll grab a shower." Sam stood up and brushed her hand across Daniel's forehead, smiled and left. 

Jack looked over at Teal'c who had also stood up. He nodded at him as he turned and left. 

Janet looked at Colonel O'Neill expectantly. Hoping he would follow his team and take a break. She could tell by the look on his face that he was really struggling with whether to leave Daniel's side after what had happened during the night. 

"Go grab a shower and something to eat, Colonel. I'll stay here with Daniel until you come back." she said as she sat down in the still warm chair hoping to convince him. 

Jack stared at Daniel a few moments, glancing at Frasier who had made herself comfortable in his seat, trying to decide what to do. But it was his full bladder that had the final say. He turned to Janet. "Yeah, I won't be long." He looked again at Daniel and hesitantly turned to leave. 

* * *

General Hammond walked into the infirmary to check on Daniel and was surprised to find Dr. Frasier sitting in the Colonel's usual spot. He nodded at her and asked, "How's our boy?" 

"He'll be fine, sir, once the medication is out of his system." 

"Had a hard time convincing Colonel O'Neill to leave, Doctor?" He asked, grinning. 

"No sir. Not after I planted myself in his chair," she laughed. Then as she looked over at Daniel her eyes grew more serious "I guess I can't really blame him, sir." 

General Hammond looked intently at Daniel and then his eyes lowered briefly. "No. I suppose not." 

Turning his attention back to the doctor he said, "Dr. McKenzie has agreed not to press charges of assault against Colonel O'Neill as long as nothing that transpired here last night goes against his record...I agreed. On the condition that he confines his medical practice to the Air Force Hospital and not here." 

Janet didn't like it. She could tell the General didn't like it. She knew Colonel O'Neill would hate it. As she looked down at her patient sleeping soundly she thought how ironic it was that the one person most affected by all of this, was the one most likely to forgive the man. 

* * *

Jack had stopped by Teal'c quarters and borrowed a few magazines to read while he waited for Daniel to wake up. He seemed to have the best magazines, or rather the most eccentric ones. He was gonna have to ask him where he got them. Teal'c didn't go off the base without him or Daniel, occasionally Sam, once with Siler. So someone was evidently supplying him with the..uh.. odd assortment of reading material. 

After reading for awhile and despite the coffee and the sugar-laden donuts, he'd dosed off a couple of times but his still sore neck quickly reminded him what a bad idea it was to fall sleep in the infamous infirmary chairs. 

A sound got his attention and he looked over at Daniel as his eyes began to flutter. Jack stood up, lay the magazine down and leaned over the bed. 

"Daniel?" 

His eyes slowly opened, if just barely and tried to focus. 

"Ja...ck?" 

"How ya doin?" 

He opened his eyes a bit more looking up at Jack's grinning face. 

"Thirsty..." 

Jack poured some water into the cup, bent the straw and stuck it in his mouth watching as Daniel drank slowly but steadily until it was gone. 

"Want some more?" 

"No. Thanks." he said as he tried to sit up, stopping to clear the fuzziness in his head. He pulled back the blanket and Jack's hand reached over and stopped him. 

"Daniel, What are you doing?" 

"Help me up." 

Jack laid his hand against Daniel's chest and pointed to the tubes and wires. "Sorry. No can do. Frasier has you tied down good this time." 

Daniel let his head drop back on the pillow in frustration. "I gotta go." 

"You don't have to go anywhere right now. Not until Frasier cuts you loose anyway." 

"No, I really gotta GO." Daniel said looking at Jack. 

Sudden realization came to Jack. "Oh! You gotta GO. Well, why didn't you say so in the first place?" 

He stared at Jack. "I did." 

Daniel motioned toward the side table. "Look in those drawers." 

Jack pulled open the top drawer and saw the plastic urinal. Picking it up he turned toward Daniel. "You mean this?" 

"Just hand it to me would ya?" Daniel said impatiently, grabbing it from Jack's hand. 

"You want me to get the nurse to help you?" Jack said grinning. 

"Would you just close the curtain and turn around?" Daniel waved his hand at him impatiently. 

Jack turned around closing the curtain the rest of the way and waited..... 

And waited. 

"Okay. You can turn around now." 

Jack turned and sat back down in the chair. 

Daniel lay his head back on the pillow rubbing at his eyes, then turned to Jack. 

"Jack what day is it?" 

"Thursday." 

Daniel shook his head. "How long have I been here?" 

Jack wasn't sure if he meant how long in the isolation room or how long in in the infirmary, or both. He was a little worried about how spacey he seemed though. 

"Do you remember why you're here?" 

Daniel looked at him impatiently. "Yes, Jack. We went to a planet, got zapped, my brain got hijacked, Frasier kicked 'em out, and my head felt like it was going to explode. Does that about cover................ " Daniel stopped abruptly, staring at Jack as he remembered the reason why his head felt full of cotton. 

Jack began to feel more and more uneasy the longer Daniel stared at him. 

"Daniel?" 

Daniel looked away slowly, and then glanced back at Jack as his face grew pale. 

"McKenzie?" He said quietly as he nervously looked around the infirmary. 

"He's gone Danny. He won't be back here." 

"He gave me a shot of something?." His eyes searched Jack's face. 

Jack looked down briefly, "I know. I'm sorry, Daniel." 

"What are you sorry for? You didn't do anything." 

"I should have been here." 

"What do you mean Jack? You can't be here every minute and I don't expect you to." 

Daniel noticed Jack's red bruised knuckles. He stared at them and then glancing up at Jack. "What happened to your hand?" 

Jack held his hand out and flexed it, looking it over. "McKenzie ran into it." 

Daniel's eyes grew wide in disbelief then a small grin started growing at the corners of his mouth. "You didn't." 

"I did. I knew you wanted to but you were, well, uh, a little tied up at the time." Jack said grinning. 

Daniel stared as Jack clenched and unclenched his hand. The hand that had fought for him, defended him. He let out a sigh. One less worry. It doesn't sound like much but when your mind has been flooded with a dozen other people's worries plus your own, one less feels like a lot. 

Being trapped inside his own mind, not able to scream for help because no one could hear him, not able to communicate at all......had been terrifying. He hadn't known what was happening to him. Just the shattering horrible realization that he must be insane. 

The emotions, the thoughts, the memories of twelve individual's all pushing at him, smothering him, drowning him. He had been in the midst of a crowd and yet all alone. So very alone. 

The control over his mind and his body had been torn from his grasp. His innermost feelings, his deepest fears ripped open, exposed to twelve strangers. It felt as if his mind had been raped a dozen times. 

He squeezed his eyes shut trying to stop the emotions he'd been pushing down for the last two days from bubbling to the surface. But as hard as he tried, his mind needed to release the fear and anguish it had bottled up. Like a tiny crack in a dam, his emotions burst forth as his body shook with quiet sobs. 

Jack watched as Daniel's face went through a myriad of emotions. His eyes connected with Daniel's moist blue ones and Daniel tried to turn away and hide his pain. He didn't know how to help him out of whatever abyss he had fallen into. He didn't know what to say to let him know he would get through this. That he would be there by his side. That he wasn't alone.. 

He sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and wrapped his arms around Daniel. He pulled the shaking body to him and his face collapsed onto his shoulder as he let him share the pain and the tears. No words were spoken, but everything was said. 

"Keep your eyes upon me, keep me in your sight, 

Help me down the crooked road, lead me to the light. 

The road I'm on is dark, I'm not sure I know the way, 

Yet with you right beside me, I'm certain I won't stray. 

Protect me from the world, I know we'll make it through, 

Give me all the strength I need..... Let me lean on you." 

**The End**

  


* * *

  


> Authors notes: The last scene of Lifeboat gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling I just had to have more. Thanks again to my beta, Lenya. Disclaimer: I don't own Daniel, Jack, Sam, Teal'c or anyone else in Cheyenne Mountain. They are owned by much more powerful, wealthy humans than I. These stories are just my feeble attempt to feed my Stargate Addiction.   
> 

* * *

> © November, 2003 The characters mentioned in this story are the property of Showtime and Gekko Film Corp.  
> The Stargate, SG-I, the Goa'uld and all other characters  
> who have appeared in the series STARGATE SG-1 together with the names,   
> titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MGM-UA Worldwide Television, Gekko Film Corp, Glassner/Wright Double Secret Productions and Stargate SG-I Prod. Ltd. Partnership. This fanfic is not intended as an infringement upon those rights and solely meant for entertainment. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself are the sole property of the author.   
> 

* * *

  



End file.
